Sunday, September 29, 2013

Worthy of mention here is the Berlin Marathon today. Kenya's Wilson Kipsang just broke the Marathon World Record and lowered it to 2:03:23! I think we will see a sub 2 marathon in the near future. That's mighty incredible.

Photo from AFP: Wilson Kipsang 2:03:23

On to mere mortal feats...
Whoa! Who was that out there today? I finally broke my 10K PR that stood for 16 years. It was the Berkeley Rainbow Run 10K on March 16, 1997 and I was 30 years old when I got my first 10K pr. I ran two loops around the Berkeley Marina and ended with a 50:11 at an 8:05 pace. I remember feeling awful and very weak at the end. I went out like a bat right at the gate. By the end of the first loop, I wished I had signed up for the shorter 5K. I would have been done already. But instead I had to push through the pain to maintain the pace. I distinctly remember wanting to be done already but the last 2 miles felt so long and endless. My legs didn't want to run anymore and my throat felt so dry. At the time, I didn't know about carrying fluids. I don't remember if they even had aide stations back then. Gosh, I sound like I was running in the stone age.

Today, more than 16 years later, and hopefully much smarter, pacing has gotten much smoother. I think I am finally getting it. I learned to pace myself better at the start. The result, I finished strong with enough kick in the end. I was unchallenged for the most part. From the first loop on 24th Street, I counted how many women were in front of me. I was in the 5th position. There was a young high schooler, with her cross country t-shirt in front of me. She was a good 60 seconds ahead. By the 4th mile, I had closed the gap. She tried to stay with me, but fell off at the 5th mile. Then, I was in 4th. The gal in 3rd was about over a minute ahead and she kicked it even harder. I was never going to catch her as we were nearing the finish. It was too bad, because the prize for 3rd place was $100 in do-re-mi. Shucks! I thought I could really use that to buy my next pair of Newtons. Oh well, I should have ran faster.

Took a serious beating, this pair.

I felt great throughout the race. This was the first time where I didn't think about or wish it was over already. Most races I feel that way when I haven't paced myself properly. There was no pukey feeling or stabbing pain in my lungs. There was no side stitches as in 2011, or a foxtail inside my socks as in 2009. I was even able to channel my inner Kenyan and sprinted to a 7:32 pace for the last straightaway. I saw the clock turn over to 50:01 when I stepped on the timing mat. I was a little disappointed at first, but then a friend reminded me that I started seconds after the start. So I did have some 6 second cushion. My goal was 49:45 and I was close. I am more than satisfied with my 49:55 finish.

My quads felt like they can go for another long run. However I didn't. I decided to reward myself with rest and start the training week on Monday. I had such tremendous results I want to celebrate a little while longer. It's been a great training week. I hope you had a great week too.

About Me

Living the "SLO" (San Luis Obispo) life, I feel so lucky to live four miles away from Montana de Oro State Park. Abundant with trails, the Central Coast is heaven on earth. Running is my passion. I am a middle of the pack runner and proud to be so. I run as much as I can, when I can, while I still can. I love the cold air against my face and the steady sound of my beating heart. I never take each day for granted. Happy trails!